AMCA critical design to be ready before year end: DRDOโ
In the next few months the critical design of the much awaited next-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft is expected to be completed before 2022 ends.
Talking to media persons at the DefExpo 2022, at Gandhinagar, Gujarat, Project Director AK Ghosh, AMCA, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) said that the first prototype of the aircraft is expected to roll out in three years. And, the first flight of Indiaโs own AMCA is likely to take off in another year and a half.
The Project Director of AMCA said that AMCA would be the first fifth generation aircraft which will go into the Indian inventory.
This will put India in the select group of countries in the world which have the capability to develop and design fifth generation fighter aircraft.
According to Mr AK Ghosh, the design process has been completed and several validation tests have been done. And, currently the process of a Critical Design Review is going on. And once that process is completed successfully, the development process of the aircraft will start.
Special Featuresโ
Responding to media queries about the special features of the aircraft, he said โThe generation of the aircraft is all dependent on the time it rolls out. And as the time progresses, new technologies and capabilities of the aircraft are enhanced.โ
According to him as far as the fifth generation aircraft is concerned โ it is the Stealth feature as this helps in reducing not only radar cross-sections but also other signatures. And this is one of the design drivers.
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Detailed design for Indiaโs indigenous combat aircraft launched; SPV formed for manufacturing AMCA
The designing of the AMCA airframe has taken this into consideration, unlike the fourth generation airframe design was not done like this. And with the coming in of the fifth generation aircraft certain concepts have been integrated with the concepts that have already been developed. And the AMCA that is getting ready for the Indian Air Force (IAF) is more advanced compared to the 4.5 generation aircraft.
This aircraft is going to be manufactured through a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) which is formed between state owned
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), DRDO and private players.
The AMCA project is in line with Prime Minister
Narendra Modiโs vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, and is being jointly developed, and designed by state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), and Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), DRDO.
This project, as reported earlier this year is expected to give a boost to the Aerospace and Defence industry of India. In March the process of getting design and prototype development the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) gave its approval.
SPVโ
The idea of setting up a SPV was initiated in 2020 when the configuration was frozen following the preliminary Design Review (PDR) in the month of December that year.
So far, IAF has committed to 40 AMCA Mk-1 fighters, and around 100 LCA Mk-2 variants, and also some units of the unmanned variant.
